Yuwen Junan hung off Pei Hengyu, unable to hear the conversation between Pei Hengyu and the Little White Dragon. He stole a glance at Pei Hengyu’s face, watching the shifting expressions on those handsome, jade-like features. Seeing that Pei Hengyu was completely ignoring him, he took the opportunity to nuzzle closer into his arms and called out softly,
"Your Majesty?"
Pei Hengyu had called out for quite some time without the Little White Dragon appearing. Knowing the little creature was surely retaliating for the Yuehua Palace incident, he had no choice but to carry Yuwen Junan down from the tree and trudge gloomily toward the gate of the courtyard.
Seeing that Pei Hengyu did not drive him away, Yuwen Junan followed him step-for-step out of the Luoyue Study, an irrepressible, triumphant smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The late summer breeze drifted by, and Yuwen Junan felt wonderful—the Emperor of Dasheng was not quite like what his elder sister had described; he was rather easy to fool!
A massive full moon hung alone in the vast night sky. The silver moonlight poured down, draping the white walls and ink-black tiles on either side of the street in a pallid, frosty white. Those houses, which looked perfectly ordinary by day, now appeared like an old woman caked in thick powder, exuding an eerie aura from every corner.
There was none of the bustle Yuwen Junan had promised; apart from the three of them, the street was completely empty. Not a sliver of candlelight leaked through the gaps in the doors, and only flickers of fluorescence danced upon the water channels in front of the houses. The glow drifted about like stars fallen to the mortal realm, yet it possessed a strange, bewitching allure.
"Little White Dragon was right," Pei Hengyu thought as he stopped on the desolate street. *This Kunluo is hiding something!*
With his white hair tied up high, Pei Hengyu’s handsome face remained unreadable as he cast a cold, scrutinizing gaze at Yuwen Junan.
Yuwen Junan, out of the palace for the first time, did not notice the scrutiny in Pei Hengyu’s eyes at all. The young prince squatted down before a tightly shut wooden door, scooped up a lotus lamp floating in the water, and examined it closely, as if admiring some rare treasure.
The reprimand Pei Hengyu had been prepared to deliver caught in his throat, took a turn, and slipped out as, "What are you looking at?"
Yuwen Junan smiled brightly and held out the lotus lamp, saying cheerfully, "Your Majesty, look. There’s writing on this. It seems to say, 'Departed'... something? 'Zi Qing'?"
"Let me see!" The Little White Dragon suddenly darted out, hovered over the White Lotus Lamp, and read out character by character, "De—parted—Soul—Nightmare!"
"What..." The Little White Dragon’s voice suddenly climbed, shrill and sharp. "Who is so malicious as to write 'Departed Soul Nightmare'?"
Pei Hengyu cautiously took the White Lotus Lamp from Yuwen Junan and leaned in to inspect it. The lamp was only the size of a palm, its delicate lotus petals half-open, shielding the oil within. A wick as thick as a willow twig floated in the oil, and sparks crackled upon it, illuminating the small characters: *Departed Soul Nightmare, Zhang Ziqing.*
"Zhang Ziqing—sounds like a person’s name," Pei Hengyu mused. "What does 'Departed Soul Nightmare' mean?"
An Ming had never heard of it. He stood silently to the side, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword, cautiously observing the surroundings. Yuwen Junan did not respond either; he had fished out several more lotus lamps and searched for a while—every single one bore the characters "Departed Soul Nightmare."
Only the Little White Dragon roared in righteous indignation, "'Departed Soul Nightmare' is the cruelest curse in the Three Realms! It is an evil spell that seals the soul of the deceased within a vessel to be sacrificed to ancient, ferocious beasts."
Pei Hengyu cradled the lotus lamp, frowning. "Sacrificing souls to ancient, ferocious beasts? For what purpose?"
"To exchange for power, of course!" The Little White Dragon was so angry it spun in circles in mid-air. "Using the soul of this 'Zhang Ziqing' to trade for power from an ancient divine beast! But the sacrificed soul can never reincarnate; they can never be reborn."
Yuwen Junan and An Ming could not hear the conversation between the Little White Dragon and Pei Hengyu; they only saw the Emperor staring blankly at the White Lotus Lamp.
Pei Hengyu asked, "Then what happens to Zhang Ziqing's soul? Is it eaten?"
"Of course not," the Little White Dragon shook its head so hard it blurred. "It’s worse than being eaten! They are trapped in a body that isn't their own, until their resentment manifests as Malicious Qi!"
"Resentment manifesting as Malicious Qi?" A flash of insight struck Pei Hengyu. "Little White Dragon, do you think it’s possible that the Malicious Qi we saw in the previous life didn't just appear after my death? Perhaps it began now, or even earlier?"
Pei Hengyu’s grip tightened around the White Lotus Lamp. "Those souls of the dead didn't go to the Underworld; they were sealed in the human realm, slowly accumulating resentment until it became Malicious Qi. After five years, when they are all released at once, that is what blots out the sun and destroys the world?"
A cloud drifted in from nowhere and hung in the sky, blocking the moon completely. The white walls and black tiles lost their individual forms in the dark night, becoming like giant beasts crouching in the shadows. In the water channel outside the walls, countless lotus lamps were packed together, emitting faint, glimmering specks of light that seemed to lock the throat of Kunluo like a silent, tightening chain.
*Snap!*
Pei Hengyu hurled the lotus lamp to the ground. It rolled twice and tilted on the bluestone path. The small, exquisite lotus petals were not only undamaged, but not a single drop of lamp oil had even splashed out!
Pei Hengyu stepped back half a pace and said, "An Ming, smash it!"
An Ming glanced at his Emperor, pulled his long sword, and struck down squarely.
*Bang!*
Sword light scattered. An Ming paused, stunned, and leaned down to check—the lotus lamp was completely unharmed!
Without waiting for Pei Hengyu’s command, An Ming struck again and again.
*Bang, bang, bang...*
Sparks flew, and the lotus lamp tumbled about, yet the blade of An Ming’s sword was notched, while the lotus lamp hadn't lost even the thinnest petal!
Yuwen Junan looked at the wooden guard’s astonished expression, his eyes clear. "This is a blessed artifact consecrated by the Holy Maiden. Ordinary blades cannot destroy it."
*Holy Maiden? What was that?*
Pei Hengyu felt a headache coming on. In his previous life, he had never heard of any Holy Maiden. How many more shocks had that dark-faced Judge prepared for him in this rebirth?
"Don't just stand there," the Little White Dragon urged, as it had never heard of a Holy Maiden either. "Ask Yuwen Junan what this is about."
"What is a Holy Maiden?" Pei Hengyu asked. "Is she a priestess of South Chu?"
"The Holy Maiden is not a priestess!" Yuwen Junan’s eyes remained clear as he rose to stand beside Pei Hengyu. "While the Holy Maiden of South Chu does preside over sacrifices, her more important duty is to lead the White Lotus Festival."
Pei Hengyu nodded, indicating he was listening. Yuwen Junan continued, "The people of South Chu write the names of their deceased relatives on White Lotus Lamps and, on the day of the White Lotus Festival, deliver them to the Holy Temple, where the Holy Maiden prays for them."
At this, Yuwen Junan’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. "However, I heard from the elders in the palace that over a decade ago, South Chu suffered a great calamity and was struck by heavenly punishment. The Holy Maiden—Jiang Xuexin—offered to enter Holy Maiden Mountain to pray for the salvation of the people of South Chu. She left behind these consecrated White Lotus Lamps for the clansmen to memorialize their ancestors."
"If that is so," Pei Hengyu pointed to the lamp, "was this 'Departed Soul Nightmare' also written by the Holy Maiden?"
Yuwen Junan shook his head. "I have only ever heard that writing a name on a White Lotus Lamp grants a blessing; I have never heard of other words appearing on them."
"He’s lying!" The Little White Dragon circled above Yuwen Junan’s head, furious. "Jiang Xuexin is not the Holy Maiden of South Chu at all! She is a traitor to the Wu Tribe! Sixteen years ago, her attempt to forcibly awaken the Wu Tribe bloodline failed. She suffered a backlash, was struck by heavenly punishment, and cast into the deepest layer of the Underworld. It is impossible for her to be on Holy Maiden Mountain, let alone blessing anyone!"
Who exactly was lying?